TRICARE Fees Go Up This Week

The Department of Defense announced today military retirees enrolling in TRICARE Prime after Oct. 1, 2011, will pay an additional $2.50 per month for individual members and $5 per month for members and family. The increase takes the annual premium rate from $230 (individual) and $460 (family) to $260 and $520 respectively.

This increase only affects those who enroll after October 1 of this year. It will not affect currently enrolled retirees until October 1, 2012.

According to the DoD press release, the change was authorized by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in February 2011 as part of his effort to responsibly manage military healthcare costs.

Before becoming the Managing Editor for Military.com, Terry served 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard as an Aviation Electrician’s Mate and aircrewman. In his final role in the Coast Guard, Terry served as a Career Development Advisor, where he provided career, finance, education, and benefits counseling to servicemembers and their families. Since retiring from the Coast Guard, Terry has authored the book, The Military Advantage, managed the content for TurboTap, the DoD's online transition program and VAforVets, the VA's transition assistance website. Terry earned both his Bachelor's and MBA at Corban University using Military Tuition Assistance and his GI Bill benefits to help cover the cost.

Comments

I am afraid this just cracks the door open and other increases will follow. Sect of Def Gates says it is to bring costs in line with civilian counter parts, but civilian counterparts never had to pay the price of active duty for 20 years or more. Then there are the Disabled Veterans that were Medically Retired because their injuries that did not make 20 year. Just think, all this was suppose to be free for life.

I agree. We made the sacrifice and were told our families would have medical care and dental upon completion of 20 years or more of selfless service. It did not happen and the govt will continue to collect from those who probably can least afford it.

The Sand storm has been going on for a long long time. The Camel has had his nose in the tent nearly as long. This administrations attack on our country , not wasting an opportunity, and collapse of the economy is the right opportunity for the Camel to move deeper into tthe tent. The Shame is that our civilian and Senior Military leadership in the Defense Department have been after these type solution for a very long time. The Washington crowd, all of them, do not act in the best interests of this nation or its people. The decline of the country has accellerated under the current seriousness of the western world debt. All this has been building for a very long time. Do not expect it to change. The situation will get much, much worst, for a very long long time. There is no leadership willing to seriously address, engergy, technology & emplyment, economic bubbles caused by free market abusers, world bankers & politician abusers & meddlers.

Starting today health care for retired Military men and their families is going up. America is the worst country in the world. We have them fight and die for our freedom, and then we make them pay extra to sustain themselves with the injuries we gave them. This is how we thank your hero's??? We really are awful.

These people who make these changes have nver served and and could care less about the Retired militart and Veterans. They are trying to protect their jobs by cutting our EARNED benefits. This proves that our Country is at an all time low and the Congress and Senate could care less. I still haven't heard anything about their cuts for working 6 months out of a year and still getting nothing done. The SLAP in our face has arrived. Who in the hell thought of treating us like civilians when we are under different laws and regulations? Truly a sad day for those who have sacrificed so much.

I'm a retired E7 and understand why each one voices their comment. I also currently work in the insurance industry and see what others are paying for so much less. Our cost is extremely reasonably even with this increase but it would certainly be more be fair prorated based on rank & date of retirement.

I understand what your sayin, also maybe you were one that was told you wouldn't have free care for life, by enlisting after 86., but made a lot better base pay since than as well as more help saving like TSP, IRA's and what ever, We didn't or at least I didn't have any of those things in 64, or when I retired in 91. Nobody was being told they would have free care for life after 86. When I was doing 1st Sgt duty at 2nd D in 81 I made sure of that.even than.

I also have said the same thing about pro rating this crap, take a look at the new pay scale and it stands to reason for a few bucks more. I started paying the triccare priime @460 back when it started in 95, and retired in 91 with a hell of a lot less than a new retiree today paying 520.

Looks like since you retired from the military you got way too liberal thinking. I suggest that you support the rest of the retirees and military men and women and try to keep our premiums down to a reasonable bear minimum. Sounds like you got out of the military recently and hook a good paying job, so you obviously don't care about your comrades
.

Eventually, taxes, insurance, and inflation will eat up my mediocre lower ranking pension. Property values go down–taxes go up. Insurance premiums increase for zero quality improvement. Federal reserve will keep printing money–prices go up. Do government economists real believe their own calculations? The politicians and flags don't care. They'll get their pay raise (politicians) and/or set themselves up on a board of directors or with an executive position afterward. We also have to pay for "income security." $100s of billions annually for those unfortunate individuals getting something for nothing in most cases. After two wars and numerous humanitarian missions in horrible environments, this is the appreciation I get. Hopefully, I don't have to go to war a third time–with my own country!

That other non-benifit also went up, Tri care Dental. I just had a crown done, even with the insurance it still cost me 400, not counting the 50 deductable.

bw: I agree with this though

“it would cer­tainly be more be fair pro­rated based on rank & date of retire­ment.”

A E-5 with 8 years is making what I made at E-8 with over 26 when I retired (base pay).

Although Tri care prime isn’t going to effect me from now on, as I turn 65 in Nov and will be booted out of the military system on post, I was told to find a Dr that accepts medicare off post, which I will now be paying 115.40 per month for part B. **** I’d rather be in Tricare prime and pay the 250 a year.

I agree with you!!!!!! After serving this country for 21 years and feel very proud to have done so, to have these people in charge of leading this nation forget the ones who helped preserve their rights…leaves me feeling cold and hoping that when they retire, their benefits will be nothing just like ours!Shopping at the commissary and the post exchange is not worth it anymore….hell walmart is cheaper!!!!

This is what our so call leaders think of all the Sevicemembers who have served ,died, or was seriously wounded protecting America. I don't believe any politicians even if they were sitting in front of me. I am seriously thinking about not voting this up coming elections. We were supposed to get full retirement pay and health for life what a joke.

Fees are going up because of the incredible fraud, waste and abuse not only in government medical programs but in all of 'em. I live in the center of the medical FW&A universe, Phoenix. My medical machine died but I can't just get another $500 machine, I have to go through the tests again, a $4k hit to the taxpayer. I went to my pcm for a minor problem he, as a salaried doctor, could have fixed in about five minutes. But no I had to go to a civilian specialist who referred me to yet another civilian specialist who screwed it up. Now I get to pay for the fix while the taxpayer has taken another $4k hit. I'm incensed and you should be, too, not just because fees are going up a little but because the degree of fraud and profiteering in the medical industry is putting an already wobbly national economy at risk.

I would say that it is time to change Washington, We already know that the people is Washington could care less about the little guy, they just work on getting reelected. What we have to do is vote out any one that is on his/her second term or longer—both parties. And the new ones that we put in thier place, should be told that they are on probation and if they don't work for what the majority of the people want, and need, they will be put back on the streets at the end of thier first term. "I can dream can't I".

The retired military is a large voting block, so why are these incompetent people still in office?. It's because organizations like the DAV court the politicians like they are our friends. Look, a politician is nobody's friend these days. DAV, and similiar military related organizations, get a life and stop acting so stupid by believing Washington, D.C. Stop supporting the politicians and start supporting the military's active and reserve forces. We don't deserve benefit cuts, especially when our government is passing our money around the world to other countries. Vote these bums out of office and email your Senator and Representative and tell them why you are voting against any incumbent. And don't believe your Senator or Representative when they say they are on record supporting retirees' bills, because that's on big lie. They go on record sponsoring bills so, whatever happens to the bills, they can always say they supported it. If the bill is important enough to them, then they will make sure it's passed. VOTE THE BUMS OUT, PERIOD!

the 2nd issue may not matter but I decided to leave it just to see what others think. I called SS on it and was told they only pay "whole" dollars.

Not just cuts, but the increases in our so called "benefits" WE older retirees did not make the same pay as the newer retirees yet we are charged the higher premiums as the new retiree. Older retiree's should be charged a more pro rated amount, and those that entered service prior to 82 should not be charged as we were to have these so called "benefits free as part of our lower pay service.

I have another issue, I start paying medicare part b starting in Nov, I now get 998 when the part B is deducted I will get 882, yet the part B cost is 115.40 deducted from 998 should = 882.60, why do we loose the 60 cents a month? medicare needs to charge whole dollars as social security only pays in whole dollars. So my medicare isn't 115.40 its actually 116 than.

They should cut welfare, people should be given a time frame of how long they can be on there, my neighbor has 6 kids and drives a BMW 2010, has never work when I move next door to her she had one child.

People that serve there country should not have there benefits cut. My husband served 30 years, he has had 5 strokes and 5 heart attack all because he was in Vietnam and the Gulf War.

I am enrolled in TFL and my spouse (under age 65) is enrolled in Tricare Prime. Now this administration and many members of Congress are proposing that I pay an annual enrollment fee and change our Tricare Prime coverage (wife) to Tricare Standard and only allow active duty members to be covered by Tricare Prime. I served my country proudly for 20 years and this is how the government and politicans want to cover their fraud, waste and abuse. Please give this the widest dissemination so this can be stopped.

I will vote for anyone who will require federal politiction to be paid the same rate scale as our servicemen and requires them to use tri care for there health insurance. They claim to serve our county too.
Yet, they have great pay,unbelievable costly perks, choice of some of the best health care plan for their whole family and never once came close to injury or death in the line of service.
That would cure the national economy and we could budget fencing at our southern border.

This Dental fiasco is also pretty much a sham, the fee's go up on all, that have this monstrosity, regardless of your service era and retirement, what I mean is people retired that entered in the late 50's to early 6o's ( and even up to the ealrl 80's) didn't make the kind of pay the latest retires make, and a raise in the fee, co-pay, or deductible isn't going to kill them but it does make the older retirees stay out of it, and face even worse. Another draw back with this tri-care dental is it has lousyy 1200 cap "per year" this hardly covers you unless all you need is the 2 cleaning a year, most older folks need more than that.

I had a tooth ache friday, went to see dentist, sent me to get a root canal, found it can't be done due to a crack, sent me to another place to remove tooth and see about a implant, well hell I'm looking at 3K+ for this ONE TOOTH. Left and decided to deal with the pain for a while. I know I was told about free 4 life care, and that its pretty much trashed, and I am willing to pay something, but this is wrong, to go from free for life to not being able to even aadequateiquite dental care.

Why is it, that every time we get a little bit of a raise on our checks, some political schmuck has to figure out a way so we lose that raise, and even more !!!!!
WE NEED TO PRIVATIZE THE GOVERNMENT.
SGM Gary Sternaman (RET.)